The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

8:00 am    The Traditional Eucharist

9:30 am   The Joyful Noise Eucharist

10:30 am   The Musical Eucharist 

From the Rector

Lucy

Regan O’Callaghan wrote the Icon on the cover of this week's Announcement sheet (it is said that you ‘write’ an Icon – you don’t ‘paint’ it).  He is a close friend of mine, an artist and a priest in the Church of England. The subject is Lucy Winkett, the Rector of St James’ Piccadilly. The Icon was a gift to Lucy from a school where she served as Governor. 

The Icon is in line with many Icons that Regan has written. He believes in representing the ‘sainthood’ of all believers by painting living Christians with the same care and honor that you would reserve for painting a saint. There are many such wonderful images of ordinary holiness on his web site*.

In this image many of his common themes are present. The ‘sainthood’ of all believers is captured by the choice of subject herself: Lucy. Her robes contain a coru – the coil which is representative of the fern from Regan’s native New Zealand, and a sign of the renewal of creation and creativity itself. She is dressed as a priest, and is blessing the watcher, and her face is open and beaming with the smile of a community leader, but then there is the imposing bird on her other arm which strikes a different note. 

It is an eagle, Lucy’s favorite bird, and it is majestic in its posture. In Christian mythology the eagle is also the symbol of John’s Gospel, because it was said that John’s Gospel gives you an eagle-eyed view of the life of Jesus, and because the eagle has such good eyesight and John’s Gospel helps us to see Jesus more clearly. The eagle is perched on her left arm, and if you look closely enough its talons are drawing blood. This introduces some more complex themes into the piece. Initially it suggested to me that the preaching of the Gospel can draw blood: at least if done right! In speaking to Regan he told me that the blood represents the wounds of life, and I reflected back that life itself, if well lived, can be both costly, and also a sermon.

I love this painting, it is painted of a colleague by a good friend, and it also speaks volumes about the nature of the vocation to priesthood, and also to just being a Christian. 

Does living the Gospel sometimes cause you pain? Does living with integrity and truth feel like a challenge? Where are your sources of creativity and renewal? Are you smiling to the crowd, but also feeling pain that cannot be seen very clearly? Is there hope in your gestures?

Take a moment to contemplate this contemporary Icon. What would Regan paint in your Icon?

Love,
Matthew+

* www.reganocallaghan.com



New Web site - www.transfig-sm.org
If you go to www.transfig-sm.org you should see some changes!

Over the last year I have been working with a team from the parish including Mike Robinson and Mark Ryan on content and designs for our parish web site. I am grateful to both for their input. For the start of this program year we have put together a simple version of our new web site, full of the up-to-date content that you have asked for, which we hope will evolve as time goes on.

This is our starting point for the web site. We hope that you will make use of it over the next few weeks and months and give us feedback. It is a work in progress and we hope to update it as we go along as it is really responsive and easy to adapt. Your feedback will help us to create the communication tool that you need to be able to get the best out of your time at Transfiguration. Is there something missing? Tell us. Is there too much information? Tell us. Could it be easier to find the one thing you are looking for? Tell us. 

We are working to make sure all legacy web site addresses point to this new site.  So for now, go and have a look through: www.transfig-sm.org


Where the Wild Things Are: Transfig Teens Lock-in
We are launching our Transfig Teens season this coming weekend with a Lock-In. We are going to meet in church at 8:30pm and stay over night. In the morning, teens are invited to stay through the 10am St. Francis Day service which includes blessing of animals.

Our theme is ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and we are looking at the wonder of Creation. St. Francis loved animals and so do we, so let the wild rumpus begin!

We are also going to be asking teens what they want in the program for the year to come, planning something for the animal blessing eucharist the next day, watching a movie, playing games, and taking part in a photo art project.

So: come along - Saturday, October 3rd at 7pm 

Bring animal onesies - animal hats or gloves - or a pretend tail - and be ready to find out where the wild things are.


Blessing of Animals - Sunday, October 4th, St. Francis Day
So that means - Next Sunday bring your animals to church for the 10am Community Eucharist. Cuddly toy animals are also welcome. We will meet in the courtyard so that animals can say hello to each other and calm down a bit and then move inside during the service. 

Please also bring photographs of animals you have shared your life with, but who have passed on so we can remember them also.


News & Announcements

Assistant Rector in Korea
This week, Monica will be gather with over 185 other delegates, including 16 from the Diocese of California, for the Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries (EAM) Consultation in Seoul to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Anglican Church in Korea.  EAM gathers every few years to share ideas about leadership, ministry, and liturgical resources, and to worship as a multicultural community of Asians, Asian-Americans, and non-Asians in The Episcopal Church and wider Anglican Communion. Delegates met in 2013 in Burlingame for the 40th anniversary of EAM. Please pray that our EAM delegates will have an enjoyable and productive gathering, and that all may have safe travels. Monica will be back at Transfiguration on Tuesday, October 6. For more information about EAM visit: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/asiamerica-ministries.

Leader Sign-Up for Kids’ Club Chapel Time
There are several openings for Kids’ Club and Chapel Time leaders for October through December. A sign-up sheet will be available at coffee hour today if you would like to compare your calendar with open dates and sign up for leading. We will also offer the sign-up through SignUpGenius on Transfiguration’s new interim website within the next few weeks.

Transfiguration Preschool Openings
Our preschool is still registering new students for this year and would welcome anyone from the parish to enquire, particularly in the three year old class. Please pass along the information to friends and neighbors.  For details please look at the web site: 
www.transfig-sm.org/pre-school.html and contact our director Karen Indorante for more details at [email protected].

Transfig Fireflies
Fireflies, a preschooler play group (ages 0-5), meets in the parish hall every Thursday, 10am-noon. 

The group is free and everyone is invited, church member or not. We have a play time, story time with musical instruments, healthy snacks and finish with a craft project and/or game activity. We have fun, make new friends and share our joy, wisdom and sometimes frustrations of family life with other parents and caregivers. Stop by and check us out. Even if you do not have the children in this age group, please, let your friends, neighbors and family members of preschool age children know that we would love to welcome them at our playgroup.  Questions? Contact Dace Samta: [email protected].

Home & Hope Walk Run coming up in November
The 3rd Annual “The Journey Home” Walk/Run Fundraising Event is to be held on Sunday, November 8th at 1:00pm at Seal Point Park in San Mateo. This is a sponsored event to raise funds for Home & Hope.  Let Matthew or Dace Samta know if you want to participate. 

St. Margaret’s Guild outreach:  assistance for our furry friends
Today is the last Sunday of the St. Margaret’s Guild Outreach Collection box for Pets-In-Need and the Peninsula Humane Society/SPCA. Thank you to all who brought in items for this outreach project.  For more information visit the website: www.peninsulahumanesociety.org   Click on donations for full list.  Questions? contact Judy Castillo.

Coffee Hour Hosting   
We have many open Sundays in the coming months, for the 9:30 and 10:30 services as well as combined 10:00 services on first Sundays.  Please take a look and sign-up.   SignUp Genius web link